Thank you all very much. Please be seated. And it’s an honor to welcome all of you to the State Department this afternoon. It’s always good to have Vice President Biden here, and we are particularly pleased to have our very special guest of honor. I’d also like to recognize Ming Tsai, the talented chef who has prepared this delicious lunch for us, fusing the flavors of Chinese and American cuisine. (Applause.)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s historic trip to China. And we are very pleased that Dr. Kissinger is here with us, who, along with Zhou Enlai, was instrumental in transforming the relationship between our two countries. Today, cooperation between the United States and China is imperative to address the many vexing challenges we face, from countering proliferation, to addressing climate change, to promoting global economic security. Now, developing the habits of cooperation is not easy. We have a lot of work to do. But we are both committed to building a lasting framework of trust that will support a cooperative partnership for the next 40 years and beyond.

Vice President Xi first came to the United States on an exchange program over 25 years ago to Iowa. He will travel there tomorrow to see some old friends. That visit illustrates how important the bonds between our people are. That’s why we support programs like 100,000 Strong to send more American students to study in China, and many more people-to-people exchanges.

So it is a great pleasure to welcome Vice President Xi and to celebrate the bonds of friendship between our nations’ governments and peoples. And it is now my great honor to introduce Vice President Biden. (Applause.)